


The Path of the Clouded Leopard

by keerawa



Series: A Study of Animal Totems and Their Significance in Modern Crime-Solving [2]
Category: BBC Sherlock
Genre: Catlock, Community: watsons_woes, Dreams, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Magical Realism, Post-Reichenbach, Season/Series 02, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, Season/Series 02-03 Hiatus, Spirit Animals, Totems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 07:25:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2016204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keerawa/pseuds/keerawa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In times of great stress, an individual's totem may provide guidance.  Sherlock Holmes is, of course, perfectly capable of making up his own mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Path of the Clouded Leopard

**Author's Note:**

> Magical realism AU, written for the [](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/profile)[**watsons_woes**](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/) July Writing Prompt #24: [Picture Prompt](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/1161923.html). Follows on from [A Personal Monograph on the Identification of Animal Totems](http://keerawa.livejournal.com/173930.html), but can be read as a stand-alone. Unbeta'd. Spoilers for the Season 2 finale. Post-Reichenbach, with all that entails.

Sherlock lay back on Molly's couch, all soft pillows and cheap strawberry-shampoo scent, so different from his own couch at 221B. Richardson would need another ten hours to implement the 'Sigerson' identity to Sherlock's specifications. With nothing else to do, for the first time since his rooftop confrontation with Moriarty, Sherlock allowed his body to relax into sleep.

Sherlock stalked through the streets of his territory, at once a city and a sprawling jungle, winding his way through alley-way game trails in the undergrowth and climbing tall sky-scraper trees. He caught the scent trails of prey that would lead him in a dozen directions across the world, but ignored them all. For now, he followed a sound, the only sound in all the jungle, a distant chitter of distress.

Sherlock paused at the edge of a clearing, remaining in the shadows, and watched. At the base of the tree of St. Bart's lay the corpse of a cloud leopard, its neck broken, fallen from a great height. A mongoose stood beside it, bedraggled and limping, bleeding from a dozen wounds. Sherlock could deduce that it had already driven off scavengers many times its size. The mongoose licked at the leopard's face and chittered, nudging it, urging it to its feet.

John.

Sherlock need only to reveal himself to comfort the frantic mongoose. Yet he knew that he was not the only one watching this scene. There were other eyes in the forest, predators ready to pounce on them both should he break cover.

The mongoose climbed atop the cloud leopard's cold, stiff body, draped himself over its broken neck, and began to keen.

Sherlock stepped away, silently melding back into the deep shadow of the undergrowth, and woke up on Molly's couch. Wiping his face, he shakily made his way to her kitchen for a glass of water. His totem had only confirmed what he already knew. Sherlock had thought through his actions, time and again, branching probability trees that led only to disaster. There was only one possible path, and he was on it.

**Author's Note:**

> Information on the [Clouded Leopard](http://www.arkive.org/clouded-leopard/neofelis-nebulosa/).


End file.
